Vayeira - 2nd Portion

Join me as we learn for Monday Paresa chapter 18 verse1 15. Yesterday we spoke about and we concluded we Hashem came to Ara and said how is it that Sarah laughed at the very fact that she was going to have a child is it wondrous for Hashem that Hashem can do anything. So how is it that Sarah laughed over here? Hearing God's accusation, Sah dened and said, "I did not laugh because she was afraid." But he said to her, "No, you did laugh." What's going on over here? We see this terminology key is used twice in different terms. So Rashi explains about the word key. We find over here the word key mentioned twice. So therefore Ashi says the first time the Torah says the word it means because he's giving a reason for what was said. Why did Sah deny? Because she was afraid. Because she was afraid. The second time it says key. The second one is for it uses the terminology but as he says and he says no it was not like you said not like you but you laughed that our teachers told us the word key can be used in four different ways. That means the word key and whenever the Torah uses the word key, it can have four different translations. It can either be e, dilma, ella or da. If, perhaps, but and because. So the word key can have many different translations. And in this p it's used two different translations. Now that Sorah was told about her having a child, the Torah now moves on to the next errand that the angels have come for and the other two men rose from there and they looked over at Sodom and Ara walked with them to escort them once they delivered God's message to him and they affirmed that he got the message. So now Aram no longer thought that they were pagans because generally any person that came to Av's house he would convince them to believe in monotheism and once they he brought a message from Hashem he knew that he didn't have to encourage them to believe in God. So he was able to escort them to the door. What does it mean? The word tells us anytime we find the word is a strong term for looking in the means for bad for example besides what except there's one exception where means for a good thing where we find in the book of Deuteronomy where a person would bring the first fruit he would ask of God for a blessing and he would ask Hashem please look from your holy abode and bless the Jewish to teach us this teaches us the power of the gift of the poor that this is able to change God's anger and wrath to mercy for the Jewish people. What does it mean to send them away to escort them? and being that he thought that they were guests. So therefore he had to escort them at this point he was escorting them and only realized at the same time while he knew they were guests that mentioned God's name but he still believed that he had to escort them. Now the Torah continues about the story of Sodom and Amrae said should I hide this from what I'm going to do? Question verse 17. What does it mean? I am going to hide it. So Rashi says you have to say it in a word. It's a question. Will I hide this from a what I'm going to do? Going to do with meaning it's not nice that I will do this without his knowledge. Why? Because I gave him this land and these five cities which will be mentioned they belong to him as it says in the verse in chapter 10. What is the verse of the canananites that the border of the canananite comes from? They also called him Abraham is a father amongst nations. I'm going to kill the children without letting the father know who's my friend. Therefore, I must let him know what's going to happen. of and a seeing that seeing that God said [clears throat] seeing that will surely become a great and mighty amongst nations great and mighty and through him all will be blessed all the nations of the world. Verse 18 the med explains and Rashi tells us here why does he have to bring about the blessing that a has says as follows whenever you mention it says in the book of proverbs mentioning for blessing because he mentions a's name blesses him the simple interpretation over here is that this is a blessing that this comes in continuation of why says, "I'm not going to hide it from am I going to conceal what I'm doing from he's loved before me to the extent that I made it to the fact I made him to a great nation. Because of him, he is blessed. It's all the nations of the world." Verse 19. Why do I? Because I cherish him. because he instructs his children and the households after him and they will keep God's ways to act righteously and just so that God will be able to bring about everything that he spoke concerning him. Rashi tells us verse 19 it's a terminology of love because I love him. What does it mean because I know because I love him but is known to her husband. She's close to her husband. Isn't Boaz the one that we know well? That means these are relative or in another place in the book of Exodus it says I will let them know with my name the however the very terminology of knowledge generally when the terminology is used for knowledge when it says the word it's talking about to know however over here he uses it in a terminology of love for one another because a person that loves somebody, he brings him close to him and gets to know him well and understands him and recognizes him. Why does he continue and say why do I know him? Why do I love him? So the continues to say because meaning because a person who commands his children and teaches people about God that they should follow my ways therefore he finds love in my eyes and if you're not going to explain Rashi continues to analyze and justify and say why I need to say in this case means love If you're going to explain it and translate it like the says, meaning that I revealed, I know that he's going to command his children. Then then the word doesn't fit well into the verse. What is lean? Lean is supposed to be a reason. What's the reason? Because I know that he's going to do something. How is that a reason? How is that explained to love? So therefore, Rashi has to use the first terminology that in this case means out of love. Why do I love him? Because he commands his children. What does the word mean? Meaning present like for example like a person that says I'm going to command and some other cases in the scriptures that we find. This is how Eve does constantly according to the words they're going to rest and so too they're going to travel. So we see this word means present also when we talk about the further on in the verse this is what he tells his children watch and honor guard the ways of God so that God should be able to bring The family doesn't mean himself comes to teach us that any person the that continues to have a son who's righteous as if he never died that because his children follow in his ways meaning that the same way Ara commands his children that they should follow in God's ways so too and his children follow what they do it's as if Ara's doing it and he continues to live on we actually learn from here one of the things that Ara taught the future generations which is that they should follow the god god's ways of doing righteousness and just we know that the three things that a inherited to every single Jew which is their bashful charitable and merciful all come from a as we see later on uses a terminology of that is bashful and stuck mishbah to be righteous and to be charitable are all natural innate attitudes which every Jew has inherited from Abra. The Torah now continues with verse 20 and God tells because of the outcry of the people of Stoman that it's very great. It has become great and their sins have become very grave says as follows. But who does he say to this is continuing what he said before that God says like he spoke I am not going to conceal this from therefore he begins to tell I will not keep it a secret from him and I will tell him what's going on in Sud so the word many times can be explained in many different ways it can mean past it can mean present and therefore over here anytime you find the word rabba in The time that means the canellation will be on the last on the last letter of the word because it's being translated in present like great keeps on becoming greater and greater but the rabb which is in this over here the canellation is on the which is the first letter of the word because in this case it means past good luck that means their sins have already been so great like explained before like we spoke about before the word where the cancellation is if it's on the bay or do I put the stress on the bay the first letter or on the second letter changes it from past to pre from past to present Verse 21, I will descend and I will and I will see if their deeds if their deeds have matched the outcry if actually that's what they've done that is I will annihilate if not I will know what less punishment what less severe punishment they should What God is saying is let me go down and see what's going on. Is the cries that are coming out actually from the facts that are what happening is it is bad then they have to be completely wiped out. If it's not then I will know what kind of less punishment I should do. Let's see rashi inside that explains this verse. Verse 21 air. Why did God have to go down and see? He couldn't see it from above. What is this teaching us? believes that this is teaching us that whenever a judge comes to rule on a capital punishment, he has to see what is going on. This is all as I explained already previously when we spoke in the Torah reading of Noah about the people that built the tower of and how God punished them. Then another explanation of why God has to go down. I will come down and see what was the whole point of their actions and see are they continuing to behave in this way or and therefore liable to be destroyed. If you see that this is a singular term her cry doesn't say of the entire cry meaning of that city meaning including all the five cities is what they actually have done what what's coming to me the cry they actually doing and therefore rashi says they're still continuing in their bad behavioral then they deserve to be destroyed. If not, they're continue then if they're not continuing in their rebellion when they want to do and they're looking for a way out. I will know what give them a less severe punishment of suffering, but I will not destroy them. So do we find in other places where God is telling the Jewish people about after the sin of the goldf to see what they are doing and to know how we will act with them. For that reason there's a line that separates between the word and because God saying have I seen what they've done and therefore I'm going to destroy them or do to separate one word from its friend that you shouldn't explain that the people of stone have done that they are being destroyed on the contrary to see what they have done and therefore I will see should they be destroyed the rabbis explained why does use the terminology in singular term and not on plural because this refers to the cry of a young woman one woman that was killed in a terrible uh way because she gave food to a poor man. The story that's brought in the Talmud is that there was this poor man that came to the town and generally when a poor man came to the town and everybody refused to give them give money. So therefore the person eventually died. They saw that this poor person kept on going around that he was still there for a few days. So they tried figuring out what was going on. And the Talmud says that they realized that there was this girl that she was hiding food in her clothes and she would sneak it to this poor man and because of that he was surviving. When the people of Saddam found out they took this woman they smeared her and hungry and they hunger and the bees would eat for him and this was a terrible sin what they've done and because of that terrible death and really cruel that finally was the straw that broke the camel's back that God said this will cause them destruction. Verse 22 and the people the men turned from there the meaning from where they were with they went to was still standing before God. He says what does it mean they turned from there? It already said be that they got up and they left him. That means not from Abra's home but from the place that escorted them to what does it mean he's still standing went to stand in front of God. God came to him and told him I hear the cries of that they're they're very great. He really should have said if so he should have said that he's still standing by who's meaning because of the uh honor of God the PK uses in this way that Ara was still standing by God not that God was standing by Abra because it's not respectful to say that God was waiting on Ara. So [snorts] therefore the Pik puts it in a way that it should be respectful towards Hashem and Aram approached God. He said came forward and said would you in your anger obliterate the righteous along with the wicked? Is that fear? Verse 23 Rashi and being that was still standing what does he mean that he approached we saw find whenever you find the word approaching means they're ready for war and then we also find approaching for appeasement for example we also find the word approaching of that Elijah the prophet was ready for all three for war for appeasement and for prayer Number one for war precautious to speak harshly with God to ask God what kind of business is this to obliterate the righteous with the wicked and also to ask and to appease and to pray for the wicked that God should have mercy meaning will you also obliterate meaning are you not going to save the people that are there are you going to kill the righteous just because the wicked have done something wrong according to the Arama translation of the he explained is angry. This is the way you would explain it. Is your anger going to be such that it will cause that the righteous should be killed with the wicked? And now begins to protest to God and try to bargain with God to allow the Jewish to allow the people to survive. Verse 24, there are five cities. So what if we find 10 people in each one of these cities? So what if there were 50 righteous people in the cities? Will you still obliterate them? You will not spear the plague because of the 50 people that are there which makes it 10 righteous people for every city because there were five cities. continues. Now, if you're going to say, meaning even though you're going to say they should be saved, and if you're going to say that the righteous people should not save the wicked, how is that? So, why at least should the righteous people be killed? Verse 25, continuing the bargaining would be sacriiggious for you to do such a thing. To kill the righteous along with the wicked and the righteous will be like a wicked fear alike that would be sacriiggious for you. Those should the judge who judges the whole world. Should you not judge fearly? Rashi 25 explains what this means. If you looked at this word sacriigious telling God, he doesn't only say it once but he says it twice. The word what does the word mean? It's sacriiggious meaning it becomes weekday for you becomes something which is not befitting. This is how the people will speak. Is this the work of God? He washes the whole world righteous evil. This is what God did to the generation of the flood to the generation of the building of the tower. Then instead of single-handedly picking out the people that are good, you just wash everything away without any uh saving the righteous from the wicked. Such a thing, not like this and not anything similar to it. We find that he says it twice. What does this mean? Not only for this world but also for this generation but also for the generations to come. If you look the hey it says meaning it's a hey this is not a hey idea but this is a meaning it's not a hey which is coming to stress something but it's asking a question is this befitting for the judge somebody that's a judge or for the whole world. Isn't it right that they should do fear of judgment? So God said, "If you find if you find in 50 righteous people, then within the city, I will spear the I will spear the entire area for their sake." verse 26 that even if you only find in one city from all the different cities then I will say spare them all. Why does he keep on referring to because stone was the metropolis was the capital and was most important of all of them. Therefore, the verse uses the word stone and refers to it most of the time. The Torah now continues, "If you find in stone even 50 righteous people," as we said, verse 27, answered. And he said, "I have begun to speak to speak to my master, but I am just dust and ashes. What does it mean? Verse 27, I'm only but dust and ashes. So Rashi explains, I already should have been worthy to be dust by because of the four kings that came out to fight me and I was saved and to be ashes threw me into the furnace. If not for the righteous and the mercy that God had that you saved me and therefore what gives me the right to speak and to ask. But continues to persist. Verse 28. What if there is five missing from the 50 righteous people? Would you destroy the entire city because you're only missing five? And God replied, "I will not destroy it if I find 45 righteous people." Which comes out, there will be nine for every city. You God, which is the righteous one of the world becomes 10. So therefore, we're back to 10. So spoke to God again and he said, "You'll be able to find 40 there. Hashem said, "If I find 40, I will not destroy. I will not take any action." Verse 29, so where do we have the 40? What is that telling us? What we're saying is making a different calculation. Maybe you'll find 40 and at least four of the cities will be able to be saved. Four cities will be saved. And then he goes 30. save third three of the cities. You'll save 10 of the cities. And therefore, he keeps on going down to number 10, 10 at least for every righteous city. And that will be able to save the entire city. Verse 30 says he says do not and he says let me not let not my lord be angry but let me speak what if 30 will be found there and hashem says and he says I will not act if I find 30 people there verse 31 and again says says, "I would like to speak to I would like to speak to my Lord." What if maybe there will be another 20? What if 20 are found there? I will not destroy the two cities for the sake of 20. What does the word mean? I would like to. The word comes from the word I would like to moant. Verse 32. And Hashem says, "Please don't be upset with me. I would I don't be angry. I but I would like to just speak this one last time. Maybe we can find 10 and therefore one city will be saved." He says, "I will not destroy if you find 10 for the sake of 10." Why does he stop by 10? She doesn't ask for less than 10. said the generation of the flood was eight and his sons and their wives and and the people were not saved because of them and then nine with combining God would already asked they weren't able to find they couldn't find 10 so the minimum was eight and even eight didn't work in the past you know it wouldn't work now either as well And God departed when he had finished speaking to Ara returned to his home. Verse 33. Rashi had nothing else to say. He was the sene. He was the defense for the people of Saddam. He had nothing else to say. Now the judge um the merciful judge was left because since he was not able to remove the terrible decree once the judge goes away the defense goes away and the prosecution goes away stands on his own. Once the prosecution is the only one still remains standing then Aram has no reason to be there as he was the defense and he goes back to where he came from. From here we see something very interesting. Though Aram was a very generous person. Aram was a very kind person but in this case he spoke harshly. The Reb explains that we see from over here that Am realized that when the life is a danger sometimes you got to go out of your comfort zone and even speak harshly teaching us that when we see the lives are danger whether in physically or spiritually we must go out of our comfort zone and sometimes do things which we're not usually accustomed to and thereby to save another person. This concludes 4ish for the second Torah reading of paras. Fira.